Colombia has held a funeral for Senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, who died at 39 from injuries sustained in a June 7 shooting during a campaign rally in Bogotá. His widow, María Claudia Tarazona, and father, Miguel Uribe Londoño, mourned at the service, with Tarazona vowing to raise their son and her stepdaughters with love, free from hatred.
Uribe’s death, attributed to left-wing guerrillas rejecting the 2016 peace accords, marked him as the eighth presidential candidate assassinated in Colombia’s history, reviving fears of political violence reminiscent of the 1980s and 1990s, when four candidates were killed by drug cartels and armed groups. Uribe’s mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was also a victim of such violence, killed in 1991 by Pablo Escobar’s cartel.
Meanwhile President Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla, respected the family’s wishes by not attending the funeral, citing potential disruptions by political opponents. Former presidents Santos, Samper, and Gaviria attended.
The assassination, alongside a recent attack on conservative lawmaker Julio Cesar Triana, underscores ongoing security challenges as Colombia approaches its 2026 elections.
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